I Paid $40 For That Candy, Mitts Off!!!

Aaaahhh, another Halloween past. More candy wrappers to clean up, more goodies to confiscate (i.e. "For every candy wrapper I find on the floor, I get a piece of candy out of your candy bucket, and I get to pick which one!") Sue and Katy get the "sweet deal" award for the duck costumes from last weekend, but I was after something specific. Connor has definitely hit the terrible twos (can you say Drama King?), so we (me & Dani) voted that he be Connorzilla for Halloween, hence the dragon costume. Not a lot of selection in town, so I shopped online (a dangerous activity I seem to be doing more & more) for one. With shipping/handling, I paid $40 for Connor's costume this year. So, after taking Pookie trick-or-treating tonight, I told the older kids, "I paid $40 for this candy, so it's mine. Mitts off!" Ummmm... yes, I did steal candy from a baby. I really don't think he's going to miss it. But, I have to say, I'll probably just swipe the good chocolate and give the rest back to him, a few pieces at a time. As we passed candy out at the trunk-or-treat in our church parking lot, I said to all the parents of little babies, "Now, baby, you share your candy with Mommy & Daddy!" Wink, wink. You can totally work the candy thing the first few years. Then, they keep an eagle eye on it, and it's harder to take the good stuff without incident. Dani was Medieval Chick (it was Dead Medieval Princess, but the wig was mangled, so she went for pretty instead), Zen and Gil were hunters (with more planning ahead, they could have been some kind of Dead Redneck I-Took-My-Beer-With-Me-Hunting Zombies), Connor was Connorzilla, and I wore my many-years-old--but-only-wear-once-a-year Halloween t-shirt. Okay, enough blabbing, here are the pics:

Hey, I don't think we've ever had a family Halloween picture. Sweeeet! And, I think it's one of only a handful of family pictures we've had in the past five years. Can we get an intervention for that? Does anyone have an inside connection to a professional photographer?

Connor took some time warming up to his costume, and the dragon head kind of bugged him. But he was so cute!

Dani says, "Am I done yet? Are you kidding me? I'm going to fill this thing to the brim, sister!"

At first, Connor just wanted to run around at the trunk-or-treat, but it didn't take long to get the vision of begging candy from people out of the back of their cars.

Aaahhhh, Connorzilla got pooped out lugging his full pail of candy around. More for me! And he's not awake to watch me swipe it, or to object when I take it away and hide it.

What was the haul this year? Well, it was pretty decent. Dani got too cold and didn't fill her bucket all the way, Connor filled his little ghost pail, Gilean did additional trick-or-treating with his friends, so his might actually last into next week (ha!), and we've still got leftovers from the candy we bought. If any of you didn't get your fill on Halloween, I could bring the leftovers to the Cowboy shindig next week. Better your dentist bill and protesting bathroom scales than mine!

Man, Sock Money Is Good Money, Baby!

Helga Von Spankin' (see Jenn's blog, where the name originates) has made another appearance. I got so fed up with finding socks lying everywhere, that I told the older kids I'd deduct $1 out of their ledger for every pair of socks I found on the floor. So far, they both have lost $6 each. Easy money, baby!

Girls' Scrapbook Getaway Weekend

FABULOUS!!! We sure had a great time! Thanks again to Chris for arranging all that. I'm sure we all agree, we'll have to do that again! And maybe more can come next time. Man, I wish I'd taken more pictures!! Especially one with all of us with our stuff spread out. Oh, well, maybe one of you has one. And, I forgot to get a picture of Jenn's headband. My bad! And I just realized - I was in more photos this weekend than I am the entire year put together. I gotta hand off the camera more often! Here goes:

A fabulous place to stay!

Across from the inn. Those old, but wonderful, Park City houses. Thank goodness I don't have to walk those stairs all day. Bet old Park City is full of young people!

Houses on the mountain-side in Park City. Waiter, would that be three mill' or four?

Where we ate dinner Friday night, on my birthday. Pricey, but very yummy!

Sue 'n Me! People say we look a lot alike. Huh?!!!

Hey, what a good-lookin' bunch! Awkward moment: this guy in line with us at the ordering counter kept flirting with me. I was just confused! I'm thinking, "Now, I know I lost 30 pounds, but not even a 100-pound weight loss is going to make men start flirting with me. What does he want? Would he just go away and leave me alone?!!!" I was having a high-school flashback, where the jock flirts with the mousey girl so he and his friends can mock her later. I'm not trying to insult myself or anything, I'm a pragmatist, but I think he was doing that because he was a little drunk. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered talking to me. Can you tell I've been married a long time? Whatever lame single social skills I used to have, are long gone now.

We went next door to this candy place (name?) after dinner, and my brain kind of drooled over the candy apples, but I was so full from dinner, my stomach told me I couldn't have one.

We were all full from dinner, and it was uphill on the way back, so we all got on the trolley. Some of us (camera chicks) probably embarrassed everyone else by taking pictures of the trolley, while holding up traffic. Thanks for your patience, trolley driver!

Chris, the ill-fated Treasure Mountain Inn employee.

Thanks for the birthday loot, Mom!

I found these cool gift pails online at Stampendous. The fuzzy socks were a big hit!

I saw this after my morning walk, and found it humorous. Nice pink car seat up front in the Corvette. Park City - where even the babies ride in style!

The breakfast cooks. Jenn and my Mom helped, too!

Man, this makes me hungry all over again! Chris, thanks for rounding up the maple syrup!

Marathon shopping! Man, my feet hurt! Next time, I'm wearing tennis shoes, instead of Dani-style-fashion-before-practicality cute sandals.

Shopping loot! Amazing what you can haul away from a good sale!

Dorkin' it up for the camera! Aren't I so cute in my handmade headband! Liz gave all of us basic white headbands, and we were given instructions to decorate our own with the supplies we had on hand. So, I used the pail decor to make my headband. I must have done something right, because I was told several times I should start wearing headbands. Although I'm sure they don't have to all be this over-the-top. And don't you just love that jingle necklace? It just caught my fancy, for some reason. I must have been feeling festive.

Thanks for the goody bag, Liz! Looking at your scrapbooks and giving me some fabulous supplies, have inspired me to get back into scrapbooking by hand. Those supplies are just so darned fun!



Here we have Miss Buggs Bunny and her alter ego, Dracula. Apparently, Sue had a surprise peek at her drinking glass while in the bathroom, and decided to demonstrate her new look. Sookie! (Sue, am I allowed to steal that and apply it to you?)

Did I really haul this much stuff with me? Can I fit it back in my car?

Well, it was a great time. Hope we get to do it again soon. I reserve the right to add more pics to this post. So don't be surprised if you find changes later.
Love, Becky

Birthday Wishes From My Teenage Son

Sung to the tune of "Happy Birthday"

"Happy Birthday to you,
you live in a zoo,
you look like a monkey,
and you smell like one, too!"

Now that's some classic humor. Thanks for the love, Gil!

He's Still a Manly Man

Okay, it took a day for it to sink in, but I just realized something as I was doing laundry tonight. I found someone to commiserate with about laundry, of all things. It's my least favorite everyday chore, and I don't iron or really fold much, if I can avoid it. I found this mangled tape in the pocket of someone's pants, and we both moaned over laundry mishaps. I told this person about the time I accidently washed and dried a little jumper with two sneaky little crayons in the decorative pocket. Some of the load I just had to throw away, and I spent a long time cleaning crayon streaks out of the inside of the dryer. Who is this new buddy in laundry? Why, Gilean of course! He asks me laundry advice all the time, and totally does his own laundry without being asked to. What a kid! But make no mistake, he's still a manly man! You know sometimes, I think, "Boy, I'm raisin' 'em up right!" Some woman will be very happy I trained this kid to do his own laundry. Even to check for stains!

Farewell to Summer

Nothin' says summer like lounging around in your shorts, and snarfing a bag of Doritos. And it was nearly the end of October! So, farewell summer, we'll miss you for a while!

...ummmmm, I really do put clothes on this kid most of the time. I'm a good mom, I am, I am, I am!

Who's That Girl?

Don't I look better in my new 2-sizes-smaller-and-30-pounds-lighter jeans? Say yes!!! Just be happy I didn't pose in a swimsuit!!!

...Because I Was Blogging

Blogging, that new addiction and fav alternative to real therapy, has caused a few mishaps in our house. So, here's a cute little list for you:

"...Because I Was Blogging"

1. There's marker all over Connor's face... because I was blogging.


2. I went fishing for sewing machine parts... because I was blogging.
Connor, knowing I was not paying attention, got the extra sewing feet out of my sewing machine tray, and stuffed them down the air-intake vent in the hallway. I had to get Zen's little extendable magnet stick out of the toolbox, take off the vent cover, and fish them out of the vent.

3. I, too, had a "the tub got too full" moment... because I was blogging.
Katy has a post about this, too. We're good moms, really!

And here's a little list I've been saving up just for fun:

Top Ten ".......because I was blogging"
1. I only got three hours of sleep last night...
2. My teenage son won't speak to me (two words: embarrassing photos)...
3. My house is a wreck...
4. Grilled cheese sandwiches for the third night in a row...
5. I don't need therapy today...
6. "Mom!!!" has been spoken hundreds of times in "sweet" tones of frustration...
7. My hubby has new insights into the female mind...
8. I have a great repertoire of cackle-inducing humor...
9. I've added 50 websites to my favorites list...
10. I know the people I love better...

Most of these are true, and some are just an exaggeration, but that's a kind of truth, too! What can you add to my lists?

You Never Know in Wyoming

"I thought it was going to be diaper weather today!" The second snow of the year last Saturday.

I Warned You

I told you I'd do it. I found a willing victim for my "morning bedhead" blog post (see "Never Stop Growing"). Here's my sexy man!

Hail the Conquering Heros!

Said I'd make a post about Zen & Gil's hunting trip. Well, Zen's Dad got an elk, and gave it to them, and they in turn gave Ron their tag, because they couldn't stay more than two days on the hunt. So, for a few days, we had a bloody carcass out in the garage. It's now at the butcher. For the same amount of money spent on hunting gear, snacks, butchering the elk, etc., I could have bought plenty of more beef at the store than the 50 pounds or so of meat we'll get off this elk. But it's not about the moolah, obviously. It's about the bonding: "Hunting gear - $200, Licenses & ammo - $150, Food for two days - $75, Gas for the car - $50, Hunting with your Grandpa - Priceless." Hey, sort of reminds me of the Girls' Getaway we're doing this weekend... um, I guess women can spend just as much money, if not more, than men when it comes down to it. Hhmmmmm... Darn those craft supplies!! Why do they have to be so tempting?!! But I digress. Zen said Gil did really well with the hunting trip. He brought his A-game in the maturity department. Handled his weapon well, didn't complain (much) about all the hiking, withstood the long times standing at his post, having a strong stomach while watching (for the first time) an elk being gutted, etc. I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but he did well. His Grandpa, Ron, was so glad Zen and Gil were there. He hasn't had the opportunity to take any of his grandchildren hunting, so he was really ecstatic when we moved to Wyoming last year, so Gil could go hunting this fall. Gil plans on going again next year, so we'll have to save our pennies for another hunting trip. Yay for the Manly Men!

Changing Your Metabolism

Okay, in some form this is probably a repeat, but I just wanted to tag a quick note onto the end of my last blog post. Because, miracle of miracles, I think I've managed to alter my metabolism.

1. I exercise more, so my bmr (basal metabolic rate) is up. I start the day with exercise, so it gets revved up faster, sooner. Then, I'm sure I've increased my muscle mass, which makes a good contribution to the bmr, so I burn more calories doing nothing in particular than I used to. When exercising, get your heartrate up there. No casual strolls. And work some resistance into your workout.
2. I eat regularly, starting with a good, healthy breakfast of old-fashioned oatmeal, then followed by regular meals and snacks throughout the day. 2500 calories, for example, consumed in a big chunk at dinner-time, affects your body differently than spreading it out over the day.
3. I'm convinced, though I don't have any science research to quote to back it up, that this portion-size-regular-meal thing, trains my body to burn food, not store it.
4. Don't forget the psychology of eating. I know I've always had a bad habit of pigging out at dinner time, almost always having seconds on my big plate, and now I've really managed to get a handle on this thing. I eat a salad-sized plate of food, and maybe a few spoonfuls, literally, of ice cream, then I'm done for the night. Feeding my body throughout the day has really helped me to control the cravings at night.
5. I generally stop eating early in the evening. I try not to eat more than I can burn off by bedtime, if possible. Again, this is about training your body to burn fat & calories, rather than store them.
6. Last piece of advice: really lower your sugar/simple-carb intake, eliminate it if you can. I've watched my mother-in-law lose a ton of weight doing this, at least 80 pounds or more is my guess, although I haven't had to nerve to ask her, and now she's practically tiny! In fact, I give the credit for starting to eat differently to her! Complex carbs (whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) are of course, still good for you.

I think I'm done with this health/fitness advice for now. I didn't want to write a book or anything, and heaven knows anything I've said has been said by plenty of other people before. But, it helps to fix these things in my own mind by writing them down. Because that's what I really want to do: lifelong healthy habits, not some lose-a-gazillion-pounds-in-six-months-from-drinking-nothing-but-shakes short-term fix. I want to permanently be able to shop in the regular sizes, and leave the plus-size department behind forever.

Letter to My Alter Ego

This is going to be so preachy, it may make you want to throw stuff at me. But, I'm just feelin' the need to record my developing health philosophy for the times when it's not goin' so great. And you know those times are a-comin'. They do to everyone. So here's my letter to my donut-eatin'-cheese-snackin'-bag-of-chocolate-hidden-under-the-bed-sleepin'-in-instead-of-exercising alter ego:

Sweetie, I love you, but you have got to remember some things -

1. Now, honey, you remember what it felt like to step on the scale and feel the thrill of accomplishment as you lose another pound, or even better, to lose two. Also remember the gloating satisfaction of being able to bunch up a couple inches of fabric in your fist because your jeans are so loose. Remember when you tried on those "goal" pants in the closet, and they were too big? Remember how fun it was to have a naughty shopping spree to buy smaller clothes!
2. Remember the good times exercising. Yes, they were good! Remember how fun it was to imagine yourself in an action-adventure movie, where you are kickin' some serious butt, being tough, and saving the world while listening to Rocky-movie type music. Remember the voice of your inner drill-sergeant: "Come on, baby, you can do it! Keep going! Punch it! Move it, baby! Push! Push! Push! Go! Go! Go!" Remember the thrill of going faster and farther than ever before. Remember when you started working harder and faster than some of the people around you at the gym. Remember how good you felt the rest of the day after exercising. Rock on!
3. Remember to eat small, but frequently. See your post on portion size. You can still eat yummy foods and lose weight. More veggies, less sugar. Read Living the G.I. Diet by Rick Gallop again. You don't have to be the simple-carb Nazi all the time, but it's a good foundation. Don't pig out at dinner, and don't eat after six p.m. Many pounds have been lost on this advice alone.
4. Remember the stress-induced minor chest pains you used to have? Gone, babe!
5. You are one sexy woman. Doesn't matter if you're a size 20 (gasp!) and look like a hippo to the rest of the world. Zen thinks you are hot!

Remember the wise words of Colonel Potter: "It's too big a world to be in competition with everyone. The only person who I have to be better than is myself." You can always do better than you did before, no matter what the rest of the world is doing. Now that's progress, baby.


I just had to laugh at myself yesterday morning. I drove around and around the parking lot at the rec center, looking for a parking space close to the building so I could go exercise. I wasted more time driving, than it would take to just park further back, and walk my lazy rear end into the building. Ha, ha. I'm a dork!

Does anyone dare me to post my current swimsuit picture? ...hmmmm, maybe I won't do that just yet. It may give me, and my image-conscious children, some trama. But I feel so good! I just bought a new swimsuit two sizes smaller! Sigh... N-E-V-E-R M-I-N-D!! Nobody needs that trama.

10-25-06 Update - I'm not always kicking people's heads in during my workout. Sometimes I think about how to do things better in my life, help people, have better relationships with my kids, etc. It's not all about Xena-Warrior-Princess, although I still think that's fun. Just had to say that, 'scuse me.

White Trash Humor

I found this recipe at cooks.com by accident. I flashed by as a frequently-viewed recipe on that website, and I just had to look. I may not cook this, but I thought it was humorous:

WHITE TRASH

16 oz. peanut butter
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 stick melted butter
12 oz. Rice Chex
16 oz. dry roasted peanuts
15 oz. raisins
1 box 10X confectioners' sugar
1 white plastic trash bag

Melt butter, peanut butter and chocolate together. Stir on low heat until creamy. In an extra large pan mix Rice Chex, peanuts and raisins. Pour creamy mixture over dry mix. Toss gently to coat. Pour confectioners' sugar into trash bag. Pour coated mix into trash bag. Toss to coat. Great Christmas gift!

Maybe Sue, the treat queen, could make this and bring it to the girls' weekend, but could you substitute something else for the raisins? They're gross.

P.S. Check out http://www.cupcakefun.com/recipes/ for some GREAT cupcake ideas. Should I bring some to the girls' weekend? You guys vote on the flavor! I'm leaning towards pumpkin or carrot, personally, but I'm flexible.

Kudos to Dan

Okay, Dan can be the strong, silent type, but we had a fun little exchange recently, that was so cute (can I say that about a guy conversation?), I thought it bears repeating.

Email from me to the whole fam: talking about the girls weekend, scrapbooking getaway. I didn't stop to think that the guys in our family just really don't care about the girl stuff. I usually just click all my family contacts and send it on. 'Scuse me!

Response from Dan: "I'm SUPER excited!:"

My reply: "Well good, Dan. Don't forget to bring your pj's, nail polish, silly giggles, and lots of chocolate to share!"

P.S. I'll be sure not to send any more 'girly' emails to you :-)"

Response from Dan: "I have my fuzzy bunny slippers all ready to go!!!!!!!!"

My reply: "Woohoooooo!!! I guess you're allowed to come, then."

I don't think I'll get in trouble for repeating this, you never know with men. But I thought you'd get a little chuckle out of it, and Dan, if you're reading, thank you, thank you, thank you. I really enjoyed our little "chat."

Get Your Groove On

Usually, I hate getting and sending junk email, so I'll spare everyone a huge email, and post this here. For all of you pet lovers out there, here's the dancing cockatoo:

http://birdloversonly.blogspot.com/2007/09/may-i-have-this-dance.html

Also, my brother-in-law emailed a video to me, advertising Philips wireless headphones. VERY funny, all about this teenager jamming' to his tunes. But, it's 4 megs, so I won't clog the email lines with that big of a file, unless you want it. Email me if you do, and I'll pass it along to you.

Gardening Weekend

So much blogging... so little time. I'll try to pop off a few blog posts before bed tonight. I hope I can get seven hours. We'll see.

Anyway, here's how we spent our weekend. Saturday, we all attacked the front garden, and pulled out some old dead trees and a bush that had grown so big, it was blocking the sidewalk. I did nothing with our yard this spring/summer. I've very, very slowly settled into this house over the past year. We still need to hang pictures. Weird, I know, but I've just had a brain block about it. There are so many old photos, and really outdated frames. I almost want to chuck everything and start over with new pics. But that's another project... The view of the front of the house looks much better now. Now, if I can just get some tulip bulbs in the ground, before it permanently freezes, I'll be very satisfied. Here are all the cutie pies helping:

The Before picture. Go team! This project has been on the agenda for several months, as part of Gilean's Scout Family Membership badge. Now that's done, too!

All three kids hard at work, yanking those stubborn trees out of the ground. I had a serious whiner (you know who you are) who was dragged kicking and screaming through the whole project. The neighbors got an earful that day, I tell you what. Drama Queens... whatever. Zen, who graciously stopped packing for his hunting trip (blog post in progress) to help us, repeated to the kids something that was told a lot to him when he was a kid and kept wishing the work was over, "Wishing is fun, but doing gets done." Love those oldie, but goodie, snippets of wisdom.

Isn't he so cute in his "manly" apron from Home Depot and holding his whacking sticks? After the first attempt at getting a pine tree out of the ground, Gil decided that the little branches had to be whacked off, so he could get a good grip on the trunk. Connor wanted to whack things, just like his big brother!

Connor and Gil - "I can whack stuff, too!"

Connor loved sitting and digging in the holes left when we pulled out the little dead pine trees.

Oh, if only kids could hold on to their enthusiasm for work as they get older...

The finished product! Just makes me want to go plant fifty million things! Tulip bulbs now, rose bushes in the spring, and then who knows! Yes, that's silly Dani hamming it up in the background.

Love Ya Babe

Fabulous!

Cutie new "do" for Dani. There's nothing like a good haircut to perk up your whole week. You're gorgeous, honey! (I'm your Mom, I can say this without reservation.)

Love those eyes!

It's All About Portion Size

Carbs, shmarbs. Whatever. Just keep it small!! This is what I've learned in the dieting department recently. Eat small, and eat frequently (at least four or five times a day). I serve five meals (3 regular, 2 snack) in my house everyday, and have a little of each. And you know what, I'm still losing weight. It's because I eat small. I know, I know, Sue, you've been telling me this for years. It's just now really sinking in. My theory is that over time, my stomach is shrinking on its own, and it takes way less to satisfy me. Pair that with an overall increase in my metabolism from regular exercise, and I think that's what's generating my weight loss. Something I do to control portion size, is to use a smaller plate. Huh? Instead of a dinner plate, serve yourself from a salad plate. You'll eat way less. And I still have ice cream frequently. I just serve it to myself in a cute little container. The one above is a $0.97 plastic sundae cup I found at Wal-Mart. It probably only holds 1/2 to 3/4 cup. When it's gone, then I'm done. No seconds. I think Dani, with her love for creative eating dishes, has inspired me. Current fav flavor of ice cream: carrot cake (sans raisins). Tastes a lot like pumpkin pie milkshakes. Oh, I also recommend eating whole grains more often, and eating fresh fruits and veggies! I eat old-fashioned oatmeal in the morning, with sliced almonds and dried fruit. I also add vanilla, a little packet of artificial sweetener (I may start skipping this, because the dried fruit adds sweetness), a dash of salt, and pour on some 1% milk. All this together kicks tooshie over instant oatmeal packets or sugar cereal. It satisfies your body way better than that other stuff.

Okay, my blog post Saturday got NO response, so was it obnoxious or just boring? I'm just totally on this self-improvement kick, and I'm having an upswing in attitude, etc. So, if I get kind of sugary-sweet or seem too preachy, just sort of roll your eyes and move on with me.

6pm Update
P.S. Don't get any ideas about my new healthy outlook and start thinking I won't COMPLETELY pig out at the scrapbook getaway weekend. Sorry, I won't be showing off my new healthy eating skills. I'll be armed with a bag of chocolate and a big appetite, thank you very much.

Mother of 5 For a Day

Daycare is going pretty well these days. It's been satisfying this time around, much easier than the last time, when Gil was five, and Dani was two. I've matured as a mom in the last eight years, and the things toddlers do don't really bother me much anymore. Their issues mostly blow over in five minutes or less. Teenage/pre-teen drama gets on my nerves now. Daycare was so hard when I was younger, because I think I was still trying to hold on to my personal space, and I resented all these extra little people who needed me almost every minute of the day. I have a totally different mindset now. Daycare is my job, one I take satisfaction in doing well. It's my job to help them share toys, read books, change diapers, take them potty, serve food four times a day (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack), clean the kitchen four times a day, bleach-wipe the bathroom a lot, sweep, vacuum, and give out hugs and kisses, all while trying to have the patience of Job. And you know, I don't do half bad. I can't believe I'm pretty sane and happy doing this. I would not have believed that even one year ago. In fact, I find a lot of satisfaction in my home that I didn't find before. My house is way cleaner (not perfect, mind you) than it used to be, when it was just me & the kids who saw it everyday, and I could be a lot more of a slob without really caring. I had days this summer, when I had eleven kids in the house all day (that includes Gil, Dani, and Connor), and I think I did pretty well. And you know, the money is good, too. $125 a week per kid, if they're full-time, you do the math. I have four full-time children, two before/after school, and three part-time children.

I got to be the mother of five Thursday night, when I helped out one of my daycare moms by taking her babies overnight. One is a year-and-a-half baby girl, toddler really, and the other is a month-old newborn baby girl. The mom had to go back to work, when the baby was only two weeks old. This was mostly for financial reasons and because they're short-staffed at work. She intended to go in only part-time, but of course, they over-scheduled her. Now, not only is that emotional to be away from a newborn for 30+ hours a week, it's also hard trying to work 30+ hours a week, when you're only getting three or four hours of sleep a night, and you're lucky if those are consecutive hours. So, after four weeks of this, she hit a wall and kind of had a breakdown at work. When she picked up the kids Monday, she looked like a zombie. Poor lady. I really wanted to help her, so I told her I would take her kids overnight sometime this week, so she could get some quality time with her husband and get more caught up on sleep. I didn't fare very well in the sleep department Thursday night, just a few hours here and there, but I knew I could weather it pretty well, because I wasn't already exhausted. I will probably do it again next week, because her husband will be out of town hunting. Now, he really is a good guy, a great dad. He didn't want to leave them to hunt, but she told him to go ahead with this trip he'd been planning with his family for a long time.

Sorry, that was all very long-winded. I'm a babbler sometimes. But, what I really wanted to say, is that it's been kind of fun having the newborn here. A little like being the grandma, I suspect, because I get to snuggle and hold her, then send her home at the end of the day, when I get to relax and sleep the night through.

I know this all sounds like a big pat on the back for myself, but I wanted to take a moment and reflect on the growth I've had over the past year or so. Plus, I wanted to illustrate that perspectives change. Things you thought you couldn't handle can often be managable down the road.

My Muzak

More random blogging (don't miss Gil's football weekend below.) I'm feelin' the music vibe today because I love my new MP3 toy, a Creative ZEN V Plus 4GB, which is compatible with our Napster service. While you could say that you should just exercise no matter what, jamming to music while I exercise makes a BIG difference. I'm totally rockin' out while I work away on my Gazelle. I need something to get my rear end out of bed at 5:30 in the morning (b*** crack of dawn, you know?), so I can exercise and get ready for all the daycare kids. Rocky-movie music and the soundtrack from Flashdance ("Maniac") are especially good for this. Know any other good workout songs? Feel free to comment below.

Okay, I'm generally a contemporary country music/pop/musicals/classical/rock/jazz kind of listener, but once in a while, I pick up some extra things that I think are great. Today, I'm going to sing, or write, the praises of a movie soundtrack. Don't laugh at me, but I really like the tunes of High School Musical 2. Yes, it's the standard cheesefest you'd expect from a Disney channel movie, but all things considered it's a great movie. So was the original High School Musical from last year. Think Grease without the raunchiness. The dance sequences in both movies are really good. So, if you like that sort of thing, check it out. There are several of the songs I listen to while I exercise every morning: "What Time Is It", "Work This Out", "I Don't Dance", and "Bet On It". "Fabulous" is an amusing, diva drama-queen song. Kind of fun to sing to, and be silly, if you are alone... or with your pre-teen daughter.

Other recommendations: anything by Brad Paisley & SHeDAISY. My favorite type of songs are the ones done by singer/songwriters. You get a unique feel, and often a story-telling type of vibe, from people who write their own songs. Every other type of music is a lot more generic. Brad Paisley is a great storyteller. SHeDAISY is an awesome group. They're a little country, a little alternative, for lack of a better word. Listen to "The First to Let Go" from their album Knock on the Sky. Awesome.

My Fantasy: Sitting down in a studio-type setting, no pressure, and singing with Josh Groban. I love to sing, but I'm really shy about it, and I only like to sing by myself, or at home with my family. Sue, remember all the heinous "opera" singing you complained about when we were growing up? Yeah, haven't outgrown that. I love singing along with Josh Groban. He has a beautiful tenor voice, and has fantastic albums.

Weekend Football

I can't believe I've gone this long without blogging. I feel like I'm letting down my fans... sigh. Just kidding. Well, I've got a ton of stuff to blog, but before I go to bed, I thought I'd slap up some quick stuff about our weekend.

We watched Gil's team, the East Junior High Cougars, play football. They played against Star Valley, and won both the "A" and "B" games. It was a beautiful fall day, even though it was overcast. That great fall smell was in the air, like woodsmoke and other wonderful things. Gil played junior high football last year and this year. It wasn't a stellar experience this time around. He was kind of out of shape when practice started, and coach put him on the "B" team. I think he's either determined to be a lot better prepared next year, for the freshman football team (he'll be in high school next year - I'm so old!), or he might bail on the football concept. I'd sure like to see him give it another shot, because he's so good at motivating himself, I know he'd do a lot better next year if he put his mind to it. Don, if you read this, you should give him some pointers for greater speed, strength, and coordination. Fun pics:

Little cutie-pie loved holding the umbrellas. With this Wyoming wind, he got blown over a few times!

Dani was a great Connor-escort, running around the stadium with him so the mom could take pictures.

Connor had the most fun jumping in the puddles. At halftime he was so wet and frozen, he spent the rest of the game in the car with Dani, listening to his favorite songs on my new MP3 player and eating snacks.

It was such a beautiful overcast fall day. I wish I'd had more time that day to shoot pictures around town! Maybe I can get to that in the next few days!

Here's the support team!

After standing on the sidelines for an hour and a half and getting ignored by his coaches, Gil was probably feeling frustrated. Zen felt like Gil needed a pep talk, so he went down by the team and talked to Gil, making suggestions of how he could get his coach's attention. It must have worked, because coach put him in for a lot of plays after this.

Get 'em Gil!

There's my handsome boy! Click to get a bigger pic. It's better!